Shahzaib and Riaz added to Pakistan squads
Shahzaib Hasan, the 20-year-old Karachi Dolphins opening batsman, and fast bower Wahab Riaz, have been added to Pakistan's one-day and Twenty20 squads for the series against South Africa
ESPNcricinfo staff
18-Oct-2010
Shahzaib Hasan was the most successful batsman in the Faysal Bank T-20 competition • Associated Press
Shahzaib Hasan, the 20-year-old Karachi Dolphins opening batsman, and fast bower Wahab Riaz have been added to Pakistan's one-day and Twenty20 squads for the series against South Africa which starts October 26. The inclusions come after the pair's outstanding performance in last week's domestic Twenty20 competition, and swelled the size of Pakistan's limited-overs squads to an unusually large 17.
There have already been several controversies over the team selection for the South Africa tour. When the squad was initially announced earlier this month, no captain was named, and a day later Misbah-ul-Haq was surprisingly put in charge of the Test side. Then, coach Waqar Younis and limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi complained that the selection panel had not consulted them before picking the side.
Chief selector Mohsin Khan said the pair was included on the back of their performances in last week's Faysal Bank domestic Twenty20 competition. "Both Hasan and Riaz were outstanding in the Twenty20 national event so we recommended their names, which were approved by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt," Mohsin said.
Riaz, a 25-year-old who plays for Lahore Lions, was already in the Test squad, having impressed during the series against England, with a five-wicket haul on debut at The Oval. He was the best bowler in the domestic T20 event, helping Lahore to the title with his ten wickets at an average of 7.70 and a miserly economy-rate of 4.12. He was in the Twenty20 side against England as well, but hasn't played ODIs since June 2008.
Shahzaib also had a superb Faysal Bank T-20, topping the run charts with 281 in four matches, including a hundred and two half-centuries, at a strike-rate of 169.27 to steer Karachi to the finals. He first came into the spotlight during Pakistan's successful World Twenty20 campaign in 2009 but has struggled to cement his place.
Pakistan are currently having a week-long training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and are scheduled to leave for the UAE on October 24.